1
as in flinching
to draw back in fear, pain, or disgust
we quailed when the waiter unexpectedly presented us with a hindquarter of frog's legs
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for quailing
Verb
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Knorr and other team officials were in the room, but Stammen helped lead it without flinching.—
Dennis Lin,
New York Times,
25 Mar. 2026 -
The Alpha Wave acquisition suggests the Gulf’s biggest dealmakers aren’t flinching at opportunities in the US or being slowed by the war in Iran.—
Kelsey Warner,
semafor.com,
10 Mar. 2026
Verb
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More comics journalism from Life Kit Still cringing about that awkward moment?—
Andee Tagle,
NPR,
25 May 2026
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Try and get through this one without cringing.—
Austin Perry OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
16 May 2026
Verb
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This is typical of Hacks, a series that constantly positions itself to do something emotionally dangerous before recoiling toward a safer version of it.—
Nicholas Quah,
Vulture,
29 May 2026
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Coinbase’s effort, filled with little nuances and created to emulate the experience of a videogame, might have people welcoming another look rather than recoiling at seeing the spot for the 15th time in a period of just a few days.—
Brian Steinberg,
Variety,
12 Mar. 2026
Verb
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With several strippers, patrons and employees cowering in fear, the two men talk.—
Selome Hailu,
Variety,
1 June 2026
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The Wolves will retreat to their corner, bandage some wounds and aim to actually come out swinging Friday after cowering in the corner for the bulk of Game 2.—
Jace Frederick,
Twin Cities,
7 May 2026
Verb
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At times, she’s been shown wincing on the bench.—
Hailey Salvian,
New York Times,
13 May 2026
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Turning up the music in get car so that her daughter won’t hear, the grandmother gets out the car, takes a revolver out of her bag, and wincing and turning away, shoots the animal in the head.—
John Hopewell,
Variety,
8 Apr. 2026
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Cite this Entry
“Quailing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/quailing. Accessed 5 Jun. 2026.
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